Arnis De Mano (NARAPHIL webpage)

The native art of stickfighting, antedates recorded Philippine history in origin and development. For when the Spaniards came in the 16th century, they found the art flourishing in various parts of the archipelago. It was then called Kali, a system of fighting with bladed weapons among the maharlikas or nobility. For various reasons, the conquerors suppressed the practice of the art. Knowledge of the art was handed down from generation to another like a family heirloom.